Kendrick Lamar leads 2026 Grammy nominations, followed by Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Cirkut

NEW YORK (AP) — Not like us? More like him: Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy Award nominations, announced Friday.

The rapper is up for nine trophies at February’s ceremony: record, song and album of the year — marking the third time he’s had simultaneous nominations in those big categories — as well as pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. He’s also nominated twice in the rap performance category.

Lamar, who is riding the success of last year’s blockbuster “GNX” album, has 22 Grammy career wins and 66 nominations. “GNX” is his fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for album of the year, something no other artist has ever done. If it wins, it will be his first win in the category. And it will be only the third rap album to win the top prize, following Outkast in 2004 for “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” and Lauryn Hill in 1999 for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow Lamar with seven nominations each.

Lady Gaga is up for song, record and album of the year — her first time receiving nominations in all three categories simultaneously. She could also score potential wins in the pop solo performance, pop vocal album, dance pop recording and traditional pop vocal album categories.

Antonoff is nominated in the record, album and song of the year categories twice, for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter. He’s also nominated for rap song for the first time. That’s for “tv off” with Lamar, featuring Lefty Gunplay.

Antonoff and Cirkut will face off in the producer of the year, non-Classical category. If Antonoff wins, he will tie Babyface’s record of most career wins in the category, with four.

That’s not all. Cirkut is up for both record and song of the year, twice — for Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” — as well as album of the year and best dance pop recording.

In addition to Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” and Lamar’s “GNX,” the album of the year category is rounded out by Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Justin Bieber’s “Swag,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out,” Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia.”

This is the first time three albums have been up for both rap album and album of the year: “GNX,” “Let God Sort Em Out” and “Chromakopia.”

Additionally, Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is only the second time an all-Spanish language album has been nominated for the top prize. The first was also a Bad Bunny release — in 2023, for “Un Verano Sin Ti.” Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” won that year.

Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each.

Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 were eligible for nominations. The final round of Grammy voting, which determines its winners, will take place Dec. 12 through Jan. 5.

In the best new artist category, global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young will all go head-to-head.

The record of the year category is made up of Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Lamar and SZA’s “luther,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” and Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.”

Rosé, perhaps best known as one-fourth of the juggernaut girl group BLACKPINK, is the first K-pop artist to ever receive a nomination in the record of the year field.

Some may be surprised to see Eilish included in the bunch, as “Wildflower” was released on her spring 2024 album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” ahead of the eligibility window. However, there is a Recording Academy rule that allows albums released during the previous ceremony’s eligibility period to be considered, “provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy,” with a few exceptions. By that rule, Eilish’s “Wildflower” — which was not previously entered — is eligible.

Song of the year — an award for a track’s songwriters, which sometimes include the performer but not always — is made up of an almost identical list to record of the year, except Roan is replaced by “Golden” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack.

“The Grammy Awards are our opportunity to honor the people who make this community so vibrant and this year’s nominees remind us of the incredible talent that is driving music forward,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. in a statement. “From emerging talent to influential icons, these nominees reflect today’s broad and diverse musical landscape, and I am excited to celebrate them in the coming weeks ahead.”

There are a number of first-time nominees as well this year, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID and Timothée Chalamet. You read that correctly.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

For more coverage of the 2026 Grammy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards

This combination of photos show Jack Antonoff, left, Kendrick Lamar, center, and Lady Gaga. (AP Photo)

FILE - Decorative Grammy Awards appear on the red carpet at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

For LeBron James, the win mattered more than the streak.

James’ NBA-record run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended Thursday night at Toronto, and he was the one who made the decision to have it end. Instead of trying to score to win the game — and extend his streak — he set up Rui Hachimura for the final shot.

Hachimura connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, James got the game-winning assist, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Raptors 123-120. James finished with eight points and had no regrets.

“None,” James said. “We won.”

James’ streak started Jan. 6, 2007 and lasted nearly two decades. It was, by far, the longest such streak in NBA history: Michael Jordan had 866 consecutive double-digit scoring games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was third best at 787 games, and Karl Malone had the fourth-longest run at 575.

James was fully aware that if Hachimura scored, the streak would end. But Hachimura, in that moment, gave the Lakers the best chance of winning, James figured. And James didn’t hesitate to fire the pass.

“Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play,” James said. “That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”

James checked back into the game for the final time Thursday with 5:23 left, the outcome and the streak hanging in the balance.

He had six points on 3-of-15 shooting at that point. He scored with 1:46 left to tie the game and missed a 14-footer with 1:01 left that would have gotten him to double digits.

He didn’t take another shot — but could have. Lakers guard Austin Reaves gave James the ball with a few seconds left, but James was happy to get the assist.

“LeBron is acutely aware of how many points he has at that point,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “He did it like he’s done so many times. ... The basketball gods, if you do it the right way, they tend to reward you.”

The last time James was held under 10 points in the regular season was Jan. 5, 2007, when he had eight points for Cleveland in a 95-86 win over Milwaukee. He had 19 the next night against New Jersey, and the streak had rolled on ever since.

“You tip your hat to a guy who just cares about winning and making the right play,” Reaves said. “That’s what he’s done his whole career.”

James was held under 10 points twice in the playoffs during the regular-season streak, once in 2011 and again in 2014. Jordan still has the longest streak, counting playoffs, of double-digit scoring games at 1,045.

Including playoffs, James' streak ended at 865 consecutive 10-point games.

It would take a long, long time for someone to catch James’ regular-season total. Houston’s Kevin Durant now has the longest active streak at 267 games — meaning he’d have to play until he’s at least 49 or so to break the record. The next-longest streak is by Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has 170 consecutive double-digit efforts.

Gilgeous-Alexander could catch James — that is, if he keeps the streak going for another 14 years, when he’ll be 41.

“He’s such an unselfish player,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said of James. “He’s just playing the game of basketball. He had the opportunity but because of the player he is and just who he is as a person, he made the unselfish play, passed it to Rui and we won the game.”

James reaching double figures was usually an afterthought long before the start of fourth quarters. During the streak, he had reached the 10-point mark through three quarters 1,266 times entering Thursday.

But two of those single-digit games through three quarters had come in the last week or so: He had nine points going into the fourth against Dallas on Nov. 28, then had six points going into the fourth against Phoenix on Monday night.

James managed to extend the streak that night. One game later, it was done — and he celebrated anyway.

“I always just make the right play. That’s automatic, win, lose or draw,” James said. “You make the right play, the game gods are always giving back to me.”

By his own description, he’s not in rhythm yet, after missing the entire preseason and all but six games of the regular season with an injury — and it showed as he missed his first six shots on Thursday, with three of them not even close.

And he remembers all the times he's been criticized for passing the ball in big moments. He always said the right play is the right play, and those words rung true again Thursday.

“I remember everything that’s been negatively said about me and my game throughout my career,” James said. “And that aspect has been one of the most foolish things I’ve ever heard as far as making the right pass, making the right play. We are in the business of winning basketball games and my whole life I’ve just played the game that way. I’ve taught the game that way. I’ve won at every single level I’ve played at by playing the game that way.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (right) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors' Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) defends during second half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, is guarded by Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes (4) during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)